->Well, he's a young man from Goznor, who, together with his best friend Deugan, wishes to one day become a Grand Adventurer and go on quests and save people. He's joined the royal guard of Goznor in the hopes that he'll be able to help people like his hero Social Fox once did. He's a bit dim at times, but he's well-meaning and has a big heart.

TheHero of the story, though unlike many heroes, he's a submissive, "leaf-in-a-river" type of person who tends to assume that other people know best, especially since [[IdiotHero thinking strains his brain sometimes]]. Also, unlike the other characters, who all have deep personalities and fleshed-out backstories, Mardek is as deep as a puddle.

* AscendedFanboy: The first two chapters follow him and Deugan, who have dreamed about being heroes their whole lives, following in the footsteps of their childhood idols.* BettyAndVeronica: To Emela's Archie. He's the [[NiceGuy sweet]], [[KnightInShiningArmor valorous]] Betty to Steele's [[JerkAss aggressive]], [[TheSociopath sociopathic]] Veronica. [[spoiler: Chapter 3 [[ShipSinking puts an end to this]], though.]]* CharacterAlignment: LawfulGood. [[invoked]]* CloudCuckoolander: Mardek has a ''weird'' sense of imagination.* CombatMedic: He's primarily a StoneWall and straight-up [[TheMedic Medic]] in Chapter 2, but graduates to this in Chapter 3 after he starts picking up some {{Spellblade}} abilities.* DidNotGetTheGirl: Emela [[ButNowIMustGo leaves]] at the end of Chapter 2, and [[spoiler: the events of Chapter 3 have her falling in love with Deugan instead. Mardek's unaware of all of this, however, as he never directly interacts with either Emela or Deugan for the entirety of Chapter 3.]]* DisappearedDad: His father is gone adventuring.* EvenTheGuysWantHim: He has this effect on some [=NPCs=].* {{Foil}}: To Rohoph.* FourthWallObserver: Among other things: he's aware that new P-dialog is unlocked as people level up, he's unsure how to pronounce "Elwyen" properly ''despite having said her name'' (because he speaks in text, y'see), and at one point he notices that the music has changed (unless [[TheDevTeamThinksOfEverything the sound his off]], in which case he'll note that instead).* GenreBlind* TheHero: But of course. His role in both storyline and battles is greatly subverted, however, as he's a quiet, submissive, "leaf-in-a-river" type of person instead of a HotBlooded leader-esque one. He's also TheMedic instead of a fighter or [[TheMario Mario]] like in most Eastern [=RPGs=].* IdiotHero: PlayedForLaughs.** KindheartedSimpleton* InfinityPlusOneSword: In Chapter 2 (Where he's the only one who has one) it's the Champion Sword, obtained by completing the Cambria Tournament. In Chapter 3, it's the Champion Sword II, obtained by doing the same thing, [[RecycledINSPACE but in Chapter 3]].* KnightInShiningArmor: Albeit one who's [[CloudCuckoolander a little off when it comes to reality]].* LightEmUp* LightningBruiser: Give him Boots of Celerity or Haste, and Mardek will destroy basically anything in his way. It helps that for 100% completionists, he'll be absurdly overleveled by the end of the game.* MagicKnight: In Chapter 3, Mardek can learn [[ElementalPowers Natural-Elemental]] attacks.* TheMedic: He becomes more of a MagicKnight from chapter 3 onward, however.* MightyGlacier: Mardek tends to be the slowest member of your party, but by the end of Chapter 2, he can really dish out damage. He can really absorb the hits too. Becomes even more so this during Chapter 3, as with a Dark sword, Soulstrike (for Light), and the elemental slashes, Mardek can strike every elemental weakness that isn't Aether or Fig.* MindControlEyes: Whenever Rohoph speaks through him, his eyes glow white.* NiceGuy* [[NiceHat Nice Helmet]]: Complete with an "M!" emblazoned on the front, it's almost humorously cheesy. Then you realize that he [[FridgeBrilliance uses it to hide]] [[MindControlEyes the glow in his eyes that appears whenever Rohoph takes over.]] [[spoiler:As well as mysterious sores, according to Elwyen's dreamstone.]]* ThePaladin: In Chapter 2. He's more of a MagicKnight in Chapter 3.* PowerDegeneration: [[spoiler: If Elwyen's dreamstone is right, it's possible that Rohoph's possession is killing him]]* SecretLegacy: [[spoiler: It very heavily implied that Mardek's father isn't from Belfan]]* SharingABody: With Rohoph. [[spoiler: Elwyen's dreamstone in Chapter 3 implies that it may be adversely affecting him.]]* SpellBlade: While it isn't an actual buff or effect, Mardek's Magic Sword abilities such as Flame Slash and Earth Slash are explained as being sword attacks [[TouchedByVorlons enchanted by Rohoph's power]].* StoneWall: In Chapter 2. He gets good armor and has excellent stats, but his complete lack of attacking skills (and the fact that he's the party's only medic) means he won't be contributing much on the "killing people" side of things. This changes in Chapter 3, where he becomes a MagicKnight and CombatMedic instead. * SubmissiveBadass: Tends to follow what other people say rather than choose his own path.* SupportingProtagonist: Played with. The other characters do follow him and he is usually at the center of the plot, but he has a carefree, docile personality, and usually just does what other people (especially Rohoph) tell him to do, despite being technically being the leading man.* SwordAndSorcerer: He's the Sword to Emela's (In Chapter 2) and Elywen's (In Chapter 3) Sorcerers.* [[TouchedByVorlons Touched By Annunaki]]* VerbalTic: Take count of how many sentences he starts with "Well," especially in the first two chapters.* WeaponOfChoice: A CoolSword.

->Mardek's best friend, an 'adventuring partner'. Together, the two boys aspire to be Grand Adventurers like their hero Social Fox, going on adventures and saving people from dragons and such. Joining the Guard is the closest they've ever got to becoming mighty respected heroes who help people. Deugan's more level-headed and analytical than his friend, and tends to take things more seriously. Though he can be slightly exasperated by Mardek's dim-witted, carefree brashness at times, he's still very loyal to him and values their friendship deeply.

Mardek's childhood friend. The idea of becoming famous heroes was his idea in the first place; Mardek just tagged along with him. He tends to be the one with more passion and drive, and due to Mardek's personality, Mardek follows along with whatever he does. He's also much more serious and level-headed than his friend.

* AscendedFanboy: The first two chapters follow him and Mardek, who have dreamed about being heroes their whole lives, following in the footsteps of their childhood idols. [[spoiler:Subverted somewhat in his case, however. When he DOES become a hero, he feels as if he doesn't deserve it.]]* CharacterAlignment: NeutralGood. [[invoked]]* DishingOutDirt* [[DumbBlonde Dumb Blond]]: Inverted. Deugan's the blonde, but Mardek is the dumb one of their duo.* GeniusBruiser: He is arguably the most intelligent and perceptive of the group in chapter 2, while remaining the [[MightyGlacier strongest playable character]].* HeKnowsAboutTimedHits: He's usually the one to remind you of the controls at the beginning of chapters.* TheHero: Deugan fits the role of TheHero much better than Mardek. He wants to do good, makes all the decisions, is the strongest melee character in Chapter 2 etc. * [[spoiler:HeroicSacrifice]]: [[spoiler:At the end of chapter 2, he holds off the Dracelon, allowing Mardek to escape. Chapter 3 reveals that [[NotQuiteDead he didn't die]], however.]]* HeroOfAnotherStory: [[spoiler: As Lone Wolf]]* TheLancer: Played with. Mardek is the main character and the WierdnessMagnet but it's stated during Chapter 2 that Deugan's the one making the decisions and Mardek is just following Deugan and Rohoph. * {{Leitmotif}}: [[spoiler:[[http://www.fighunter.com/?page=music2&m=254 Lone Wolf]]]], [[CrowningMusicOfAwesome one of THE best character themes ever]].* MagicKnight: To contrast with Mardek's [[LightEmUp holy-]][[HealingHands elemental]] abilities, Deugan learns a variety of [[ElementalPowers Natural-Elemental]] {{Spellblade}}-based techniques.* MightyGlacier: Not as fast as Mardek or Vehrn, but he makes up for it with fantastic durability and excellent damage.* [[spoiler:NotQuiteDead]]: [[spoiler:''Subverted'', amazingly. Although he survives his HeroicSacrifice, he is reluctant to return due to various reasons, and instead decides to adopt the new persona of "Lone Wolf". So in a way Deugan ''[[ThatManIsDead does]]'' [[ThatManIsDead die]], but is "reborn" as Lone Wolf.]]* [[spoiler:ThatManIsDead]]: [[spoiler:See NotQuiteDead, above.]]* WeaponOfChoice: A [[{{BFS}} greatsword]].

->A young woman who served on the Gonzor guard alongside Mardek and Deugan. She joined the Guard at the same time as Mardek and Deugan, and the two mens' eyes have been on her since. She possesses the power to wield elemental magics. She is very shy, and although she claims to have come from Canonia, she is very vague about her past.

[[spoiler:In fact, she is the child of the guardians of the water crystal, and grew up in a temple beneath Lake Qur, seperated from civilization. She returns there after Chapter 2 to find her mother and father dead. She cannot join in Chapter 3 because of this, as her duties as the new guardian keep her from leaving the temple, even if you get the crystal. It's also revealed in the dreamstones that she and Deugan had a short relationship.]]

* ActionGirl: Albeit one who [[SquishyWizard blows up stuff with magic rather than hacking away with a sword]].* {{Adorkable}}* AllGirlsWantBadBoys: Inverted. She despises [[NominalHero Steele]] and gets a ''lot'' of ShipTease with both [[NiceGuy Mardek]] and [[KnightInShiningArmor Deugan]].* ArmorAndMagicDontMix: [[GameplayAndStorySegregation Despite the fact that each and every one of her sprites sports a set of armor.]]* BadLiar: Her efforts to hide her [[MysteriousPast personal history]] make this very, very clear. {{Justified|Trope}} in that [[spoiler:she's been isolated from society for all her life]], so of course she can't lie; [[spoiler:she can barely hold a normal conversation, it seems!]]* [[spoiler:BlessedWithSuck]]: [[spoiler:Her duties as a guardian of the water temple. The upside? She gets magical powers and can summon a magical war-steed-thing to fight along side her. The downside? She has to live in a secluded monster-filled temple at the bottom of a lake, cut off from society. Who needs to stay there even after the Water Crystal is taken, with nothing to guard and a much dirtier temple left behind.]]* CharacterAlignment: LawfulNeutral. [[invoked]]* TheChick: In Chapter 2.* ElementalPowers: Can learn four basic Natural Elemental (Fire/Water/Earth/Air) spells. * FlorenceNightingaleEffect: [[spoiler: Though they share ShipTease earlier, Emela and Deugan fall in love when she patches him up after Chapter 2.]]* HeroesWantRedheads* {{Leitmotif}}: [[http://www.fighunter.com/?page=music2&m=235 Emela]]* MakingASplash: She's able to use magic of all elements, though she specializes in this.* ManaDrain: Attacks from her MagicWand restore Emela's {{Mana}} based on the damage she inflicts- handy, since, as a SquishyWizard, she's quite reliant on MP to be useful. * MysteriousPast: She does a piss-poor job of hiding the fact that she has one. [[spoiler: Chapter 3 reveals that she's the water guardian.]]* NoSocialSkills: Played with. While she's bad at lying and not the ''best'' speaker, a good deal of it is in her head (as seen in Dreamstones).* RedHeadedHero* ShipTease: When interacted with by Mardek in the second chapter. She also has some with Deugan - if you level Deugan enough, he'll talk about how he likes Emela. * SquishyWizard: One of the best there is, as she's able to use spells from all elements.* SuspiciouslySpecificDenial: Her [[EpicFail attempts]] to cover up her MysteriousPast.-->"Um, isn't this so, um... unique and strange and not something I've done hundreds of times before! Yeah, wow and stuff! So weird, this walking under the water stuff."* [[spoiler:VoiceOfTheLegion: She gains this when performing her duty as the Water Guardian.]]* WeaponOfChoice: A [[MagicWand wand]].

->A devoted Yalortian paladin from the southern lands. He was sent on a mission to explore the mysterious outbreak of monsters in Canonia, and the missing shaman, as the priests that he serves sensed that evil was afoot...\\The typical paladin, Vehrn is self-righteous, arrogant, blindly religious and devoted to his cause. He means well and lives to help others, but he lives to serve and merely obeys his orders without thinking for himself, calling those who oppose his masters 'heathens' and suchlike.

Like the blurb says, he's annoyingly arrogant, and extremely devoted to his religion. If you level him up enough, he'll constantly pester Mardek to become a Yalortian. You'll also find out that he [[spoiler:was apparently an orphan who was handed to a monastery when he was a baby]].

* CharacterAlignment: LawfulGood. [[invoked]]* CovertPervert: He feels Elywen up in the Dark Temple if you take both of them there. Though the "covert" part is debatable as he has no problems with them knowing he did it.* CripplingOverspecialization: [[InvertedTrope Inverted]] in Chapter 2, where he's often more useful than Zach because of his primarily undead-countering skillset. Almost everything past the halfway point in Chapter 2 is undead-focused, including most of the bosses.** And then in Chapter 3 undead continue to be all over the place, being the focus of two dungeons and prevalent in at least one other.* [[spoiler:DoorstopBaby]]: [[spoiler:He was abandoned on the steps of the Yalortian Monastary in Aeropolis.]]* TheFundamentalist: Parodied.* GoodScarsEvilScars: He has an unexplained scar on one of his eyebrows.* HolierThanThou: A ''big'' part of his personality; at least he's fairly well-meaning.* IdiotHero* InfinityPlusOneSword: The Righteous Justice, found inside the [[BigBoosHaunt Lost Monastery]].* {{Leitmotif}}: [[http://www.fighunter.com/?page=music2&m=231 Vehrn]]* LightEmUp* MagicKnight* OptionalPartyMember: You can choose to straight ignore him in Chapter 2 if you want. [[AvertedTrope Averted]] in Chapter 3.* {{Pride}}* WeaponOfChoice: A CoolSword.* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: He has ''purple'' hair.

->A battle-hardened mercenary from lands afar. He doesn't speak much at all, so his past is a complete mystery, though it seems as if he's been scarred deeply or he's learned to suppress his emotions...\\He kills for money and will slaughter whoever his employer wishes to without remorse.

A battle-hardened mercenary from far away lands, Zach rarely shows emotion and [[TheStoic speaks even less.]] He can be hired at various taverns and inns throughout the series for various sums of money. He holds very little respect for his employers, though, over time, he does recognize Mardek as an exception.

[[spoiler:Leveling him up and speaking to him more will eventually reveal that he followed an adventurer from the North, who is slightly implied to have been Mardek's father (despite being a {{Jerkass}}), out of his village of [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy proud warriors]], an act that went against his people's tradition.]]

* AwesomeButImpractical: Given that the majority of major enemies in Chapter 2 are undead, including ''all bosses'' from the point you can recruit him, Vehrn tends to be much more useful.** DifficultButAwesome: Crosses into this in chapter 3 due to two skills: [[UnblockableAttack Sure Slash]] and [[SituationalDamageAttack Sinstrike]]. The former is ''invaluable'' at dealing with [[DemonicSpiders those damned Pixies]] and the latter depends on how many kills Zach has, but has no known maximum limit on those kills affecting the move so the damage from it can become absurd if you grind enough.* BaldOfAwesome* CharacterAlignment: LawfulNeutral. [[invoked]]* CripplingOverspecialization: He has ''no'' magical skills. At all. He only has a single attack that uses Mana, and at very generous rate. [[CompletelyMissingThePoint But he has a cool double sword.]]* DarkAndTroubledPast: See MysteriousPast below. It's strongly suggested that his past is one of these, as he claims to avoid making emotional connections with other people because "less people get hurt that way".* DefrostingIceQueen: If you level him up enough, he slowly starts opening up and revealing more of his past. * FacialMarkings: Has a claw-mark tattoo above one of his eyebrows. [[spoiler: This is more of a Tribal Marker, as it signifies him as a member of the Bear Clan.]]* GlassCannon:** He starts out as one, having no defensive reactions and high attack when you first recruit him. Luckily, it'll probably only take you a couple dungeons to catch him up to everyone else.** By the end, he can get up to 70% physical evasion. More so if you let him rake in enough kills, as he has a move that gets stronger the more kills he has.* HellBentForLeather: He comes pre-equipped with spiked leather armor, and his sprite/portrait is always wearing it as well.* InfinityPlusOneSword: The Yin and Yang, which is dropped by a Bone Demon inside a cave on the Desert Path.* [[spoiler:JadeColoredGlasses: Becomes jaded as more and more of his employers treat him as a weapon. Mardek is his only employer who has treated him as a person so far!]]* JerkAss: Somewhat. His reply to meeting you again in Chapter 3? [[spoiler: Offer up his services for ten times the original amount you paid in to recruit him in Chapter 2.]]* {{Leitmotif}}: [[http://www.fighunter.com/?page=music2&m=232 Zach]]. Notable for how it is also slightly similar to [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI Shadow's theme.]]* LostForever: It's quite possible to be completely in the dark about his existence, and you can't recruit him in Chapter 2 once [[spoiler: you defeat Moric in The Catacombs.]]* MeaningfulName: His middle name, 'Ursus'. [[spoiler: He came from the Bear Tribe.]]* MysteriousPast: He definitely has one. [[TheStoic Too bad he isn't too keen on telling it to you.]] [[spoiler:Unless you level him up and pester him enough.]]* OptionalPartyMember: The only true one in both games, and [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] if you talk to him in Chapter 3 without meeting him in Chapter 2.* OvershadowedByAwesome: In Chapter 2. He is a useful character in his own right, but Vehrn's Disrupt Undead/Silver Sword/Quarry: Undead combo lets him one-hit more or less every enemy in the endgame.* ProfessionalKiller: Kinda, he's a mercenary who will work for whoever pays up, and he has no qualms about killing.* ProudWarriorRaceGuy: From his armor to his attitude, he acts like one, at least. Said exactly word for word in dialogue. [[spoiler: And he actually is from a Proud Warrior Race, too.]]* ScaryBlackMan:** A customer in the bar you recruit him in outright calls him one. And Zach fits the bill pretty well, since any character that comments on him will always mention how frightening and/or ruthless he looks.** Heck, Mardek's mother outright tells him that she'd prefer if Mardek didn't hang around Zach at all.** [[spoiler:Ironically, it's this persecution that gets Zach where he is in the first place.]]* ShoutOut: He's basically a big, walking ShoutOut to [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI Shadow]]. How you hire him, the comments that people make in the bar, the fact that he keeps his past mostly to himself...* TheStoic: He rarely speaks at all and refuses to elaborate on his past. [[spoiler:Unless you level him up enough, then he'll start talking about it. But not too much.]]* WeaponOfChoice: [[DoubleWeapon A staff with a blade on each end.]]

->One of the Royal Guard recruits who signed up at the same time as Mardek and Deugan. He has long hair. He's a natural leader-type, naturally taking charge in missions, but does a good job of it and treats his teammates with respect.

[[spoiler:Donovan is King Gonoroth's only son, and such, he is also the heir to the throne. However, he doesn't want his royal status to be known by his fellow Guards and Knights, as he wants to build reputation with his talents rather than his royal blood.]]

* AscendedExtra: His role in Chapter 2 is minor, but he's PromotedToPlayable in Chapter 3.* [[BadassBeard Badass Goatee]]: Grows one in the TimeSkip in-between Chapters 2 and 3.* CharacterAlignment: LawfulGood. [[invoked]]* CripplingOverspecialization: He can only cast spells from a single element. While this makes him very useful in areas with enemies vulnerable to Fire, he isn't useful for much else. Shame there are hardly any areas where monsters have a consistent weakness to fire (some are merely areas filled with undead already covered by the another specialized character, Vehrn), and several areas where enemies are resistant or immune to fire. He does have the ability to give the whole party a shield against fire attacks, but so can Gloria and she can also cast spells for the other elements.** [[PoorPredictableRock Poor Predictable Fire]]* TheHero: His personality is not too far off from this, in fact, he's probably more fit for leadership than Mardek is, as shown by his excellent command of his fellow knights in the beginning Chapter 2.* InfinityPlusOneSword: The Obelisk, obtained by returning all returning all 10 artefacts to the Aeropolis museum curator. Weirdly enough, the Obelish is also ''Sharla's'' InfinityPlusOneSword, which means only one of them can have it equipped at any one time.* KnightInShiningArmor* TheLeader: Especially in chapter 2, where he's the one giving orders to the other recruits* {{Leitmotif}}: [[http://www.fighunter.com/?page=music2&m=251 Duet]], shared with Sharla.* LongHairedPrettyBoy* OppositesAttract: With Sharla. Donovan's an erudite natural leader while Sharla is a quiet, shy NiceGirl. * PlayingWithFire* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: He's pretty friendly and gets along well with Mardek. Talk to Mardek's mom with him in the party and she reveals Mardek genuinely respects and looks up to him.* [[spoiler:RoyalBlood]]** [[spoiler:RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething]]** [[spoiler:[[KingIncognito Prince Incognito]]]]* SquishyWizard* [[spoiler:WarriorPrince]]* WeaponOfChoice: A [[BladeOnAStick spear]].

->A quiet girl who signed up to join the Guard at the same time as Mardek and Deugan. She's exceedingly shy and rarely speaks at all, and seems quite mild-mannered and kind of heart. She joined the Guard to help and heal people rather than destroy. She seems to have feelings for Donovan.

* ActionGirl: Just because Sharla's [[NiceGirl sweet and somewhat fragile]] doesn't mean she won't atomize you with a lightning bolt if you threaten her or her friends.* AllGirlsWantBadBoys: If you have Sharla in your party when facing the Mystery Man the first time, you get this exchange:-->'''Mystery Man:''' Hey Sharla, babeh. Take yer top off and come over here and I'll let you live.-->'''Sharla:''' He's such a charmer! I might be falling for him!* AscendedExtra: Like Donovan, she's a minor character in Chapter 2 and PromotedToPlayable in Chapter 3.* BlowYouAway / ShockAndAwe* CharacterAlignment: NeutralGood. [[invoked]]* CripplingOverspecialization: She can only cast spells from a single element. While this makes her very useful in areas with enemies vulnerable to Air, she isn't too useful anywhere else, though she has a leg-up on Donovan by usually having a neutral element, healing ability, and the fairly versatile Gust Shield. Really, you just don't want to [[ElementalRockPaperScissors take her to the Fire Temple.]]** [[PoorPredictableRock Poor Predictable Air]]* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: She's blonde and incredibly sweet.* InfinityPlusOneSword: The Obelisk, which is shared with Donovan.* {{Leitmotif}}: [[http://www.fighunter.com/?page=music2&m=251 Duet]], shared with Donovan.* [[NiceGuy Nice Girl]]: Calling her the nicest character in the cast would not be an exaggeration.* TheQuietOne: However, it's because of her docile, inoffensive personality rather than some DarkAndTroubledPast or something like that.* SquishyWizard* WeaponOfChoice: A [[BladeOnAStick spear]].

->A young girl who lost her parents to a curse from the Lake Hag. She likes to sing. After Mardek defeated the Lake Hag, Elwyen fell for him, and the two have remained good friends since then. Mardek visits Elwyen frequently between his missions, but she tires of village life and longs to travel with him in order to partake in the exciting adventures that fill his life rather than just hearing about them in his stories.\\Though she is not an actual siren by blood, she likes the sound of the word and calls herself a 'siren'. She uses harp music to significantly affect the playing field in battle.

* ActionGirl: Her fighting is [[StatusBuff mostly]] [[MusicalAssassin indirect]], but she can still kick some serious ass.* AttentionWhore: Only with Mardek, however.-->'''Elwyen''': Maaardeeeek! I'm all covered in sweat, all wet and glistening and it's making me squirm around! Why aren't you watching?-->'''Mardek''': Well, we're sort of on an adventure here...-->'''Elwyen''': I still wish you'd ogle me lustfully all the time, just like you used to!-->'''Mardek''': I don't remember ever doing that...-->'''Elwyen''': IN MY DREAMS YOU DID!!!* BadassNormal: Like Zach, none of her skills use {{Mana}}.* CharacterAlignment: ChaoticNeutral. [[invoked]]* ClingyJealousGirl: To Mardek.* DamselInDistress: [[DefiedTrope Defied]], or at least she's hoping to defy it.* {{Foil}}: To Gloria, her best friend. Elwyen is a flighty, excitable girl, while Gloria's a mature young woman who's very much WiseBeyondHerYears. Their fighting styles are also counterpoint- Elwyen is a FragileSpeedster who specializes in [[StatusBuff StatusBuffs]], while Gloria is a MightyGlacier whose fighting style is a much more straight-forward CombatMedic. Their LoveInterests are also complete opposites- Elywen lusts after [[StupidGood Mardek]], while Gloria has a much more stable, mutual attraction with [[HumbleHero Meraeador]].* FragileSpeedster: Has high evasion but low health and her sheet music attacks don't deal much damage. [[CaptainObvious Neither does whacking enemies with her harp.]]* ILoveYouBecauseICantControlYou: Scarily enough.--> '''Elwyen''': Maybe it's why I like you so much... You're a challenge. You're so much better than the other guys in my village because I DON'T have full control over you. I can't take the easy way, and... that's love, right?! Right?! It must be!* InfinityPlusOneSword: The Astral Harp, obtained by returning all the fairies to the Fairy King in the Lifewood.* {{Leitmotif}}: [[http://www.fighunter.com/?page=music2&m=249 Siren Song]]* MagikarpPower: May look useless at first, but if you get sheet music for her, she is one of the most powerful party members. To elaborate: her skills allow her to damage enemies once their turn starts, ignoring defences and resistances. Particularly effective against [[DemonicSpiders Pixies.]] She also has skills that decrease or increase damage from different attacks based on her stats. Train her up and you're near untouchable. * MeaningfulName: [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Siren]]e [[ClingyJealousGirl Nympha]] needs little explanation, considering how she's a Siren class and she practically throws herself at Mardek.* MusicalAssassin: And she's damn good at it, too. One of her abilities allows her to deal damage to all enemies every time they get a move, ignoring resistances and defence. Slaughters the {{Demonic Spider}}s of the game (low HP, high resistances and defense) in a turn or two. A different version of the same skill functions exactly the same, but only works on undead and does 4 times as much damage.* NoPronunciationGuide: Subverted. She tells you her name is pronounced "el-oo-ee-en" in one of her [[RelationshipValues P-dialogues.]]* QuoteMine: She is very happy when she can quote Mardek telling her she's hot. Note that Mardek was telling her this in a volcano.* [[InvertedTrope Reverse]] HikaruGenjiPlan: She tries to do this with Mardek. [[IdiotHero He's completely oblivious, of course]].* ShipperOnDeck: Only with people who [[LoveTriangle get in the way of her relationship with Mardek]], though.* SmallTownBoredom* SpoonyBard: Averted. Elwyen becomes one of the most useful characters in the game. She's almost necessary when trying to fight the bonus bosses. * StatusBuff: A few of her songs do this, increasing simple stats such as defense and attack.* {{Stripperiffic}}* TheTease* WeaponOfChoice: [[MusicalAssassin Harps]]. She can actually hit monsters with her harp, but much more effective is the Requiem and Dolorous Dirge skills/songs.* YaoiFangirl: Sort of.--> '''Elwyen''': You've got friends like me now, Mardek! You don't NEED [Deugan] anymore! I can be a better friend anyway. I actually CARE about you, and, and... And I can show you a sort of appreciation and fun that he never could, wink wink. Unless he ever did?! Eww! Mardek! I shouldn't have thought of that! It is pretty hot though, now that I think of it another way.

-> Elwyen's best friend. She's kind, caring, and mild-mannered...completely unlike her brother. She was always teased by him, and considered him a negative role-model; she specifically made sure that she had none of the negative traits that he so obviously possessed.\\Gloria always felt that she was 'at one with nature', and used to visit the Canonia shaman regularly... The position of shaman must pass on to another person whenever a shaman dies, and this other is chosen by the planet. Gloria was selected to take over from the old Canonia shaman, and now spends her time in the Shaman's Cave, solving minor village disputes, brewing potions, and et cetera.

* ActionGirl* CharacterAlignment: LawfulNeutral. [[invoked]]* CombatMedic: Gloria's spells are all over the magic spectrum, featuring everything from healing to buffs to straight-up damaging spells. * DeadpanSnarker: By and far the snarkiest person in the entire series.* ElementalPowers: Can use all 4 Natural Elements.* EveryoneIsRelated: P-key dialogue reveals that [[spoiler:Steele is her half-brother]].* {{Foil}}:** First, to Elwyen. Despite being [[HeterosexualLifePartners best friends]], the two are complete opposites in a multitude of factors, not limited to: personality, fighting style, element, LoveInterest, the list goes on..** Secondly, to [[spoiler: Steele. Gloria outright states that while he's a ChildByRape, and therefore a child borne of hate, she's a child borne to symbolize the love between her parents.]] In addition, their motivations for their actions are completely opposite- [[spoiler: Steele]] does what he does because he [[ItsAllAboutMe cares only for himself]], while Emela is sacrifice her own life and freedom to help others- [[MartyrWithoutACause even when it's not really necessary]].* GreenThumb: Unlike most other earth-aligned characters, she leans more towards this than DishingOutDirt. * InfinityPlusOneSword: Yggdrasil's Finger, found in a [[GuideDangIt rather obscure]] section of the Dreamworld.* {{Leitmotif}}: [[http://www.fighunter.com/?page=music2&m=250 Nature's Maiden]]* [[MayDecemberRomance May September Romance]]: Meraeador is 31. She's 17. However, due to being a shaman, she'll age much slower than Mereador, and she's also WiseBeyondHerYears* MightyGlacier: Surprisingly resilient for a wizard.* NatureHero: Unsurprising, as she is a shaman who is in tune with the planet.* OnlySaneMan: Among the playable characters in Chapter 3. She's really the only one questioning whether the party's actions are doing more harm than good, and doles out a fair bit of snark at the rest of the party's antics along the way.* RedMage: See CombatMedic above.* SmallTownBoredom: Not only bored, but annoyed by how every guy in town wants to bang her.* SquishyWizard: Subverted. She's weak with physical offense, but surprisingly durable.* WeaponOfChoice: A SimpleStaff. Weirdly enough, unlike all other Chapter 3 characters with previously-unseen weapons, like Elywen or Legion, you can find staves as enemy drops in Chapter 2, which means they're all VendorTrash unless you exploit the series' OldSaveBonus functionality.* WhatTheHellHero: She calls out Meraeador on using an evil, eldritch spell that rips a soul out from the afterlife and binds it to be the caster's eternal slave. She does agree to cast it after Meraeador does a bit of explaining, however.* WiseBeyondHerYears: Despite only being 17, she's by far the most stable and sane- not to mention intelligent- among the protagonists.

->Goznor's resident eccentric inventor. He s-s-speaks with a s-s-s-stutter. He's a skilled machinist, and spends most of his time constructing odd clockwork mechanical creatures. He claims that one day they'll be used in homes and on battlefields all over Belfan, though he despises the latter part if it's true. He's a pacifist, y'see.\\Though most of the inhabitants of Goznor shun him due to their fear of the unknown and the unnatural, Mardek and Deugan have taken an interest in his work, for which he is glad.

* [[spoiler:AccidentalMurder]]: [[spoiler: His parents, revealed in one of his [[RelationshipValues P-dialogues.]]]]* CharacterAlignment: NeutralGood. [[invoked]]* CripplingOverspecialization: He can only equip ''two'' inventions! He can only use three skills at any one time! And that includes two inventions that use a skill you usually only need to cast once per combat (to give the whole party a physical or magic shield).* DeadlyGas: His Gas Gun that you can make is actually a pretty useful weapon early on, as about any enemy can be poisoned as of Chapter 3.* [[spoiler:DrivenToSuicide]]: [[spoiler:He briefly considers this after "[[AccidentalMurder The Accident]]", though [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming he is saved by Mardek and Deugan's friendship when they were little]], after all the townsfolk hated and feared him for it.]]* FireBreathingWeapon: You can build a flamethrower for him at his toolbench.* GadgeteerGenius: He becomes this once he joins your party.* InfinityPlusOneSword: [[AvertedTrope He's the only one in Chapter 3 to not have one]]l, which the official guide for the game [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]].* [[InstantSedation Knockout Gas]]: The Sleep Gas Gun is another invention you can build for him.* {{Leitmotif}}: [[http://www.fighunter.com/?page=music2&m=271 The Inventor.]]* MadScientist: He is pretty close to this at times. In fact, he pretty much goes mad with ideas for inventions if you speak to him within the volcano.* MagikarpPower: He may look useless at first, but take the time to build some of his inventions and he quickly becomes one of the most useful characters. His problem of only being able to use two skills at once remains a problem, however, and his poor variety in ''attacks'' can deny him killing blows. As a bonus, he can repair Legion in battle if they're on the same team, giving Legion a slew of stat bonuses.* [[MayDecemberRomance May September Romance]]: Gloria is 17. He's 31. However, Gloria is also ''very'' WiseBeyondHerYears.* PlayingWithFire* SpeechImpediment: His aforementioned st-st-stuttering. [[spoiler: This causes his spell to transfer a soul to his robot to go awry.]]* TechnicalPacifist:** {{Justified|Trope}} due to his DarkAndTroubledPast; see above. Also discussed in one of his P-dialogues, where he says that he has no qualms about killing monsters, since they don't have minds (they're made instead of a substance called "miasma"). [[FridgeLogic Why he's okay with killing bandits, however, is anyone's guess]].** Lampshaded in the very same discussion with him, where Mardek comments about how pacifists are supposed to be opposed to ''all'' violence, and Meraeador snaps at him for his pedantry.** Also lampshaded in the description for the Flamethrower. "Mwahaha! [[CrowningMomentOfFunny Meraeador's such a pacifist]]."* ThisIsADrill: Another weapon/gadget you can build for him, though the 'drill' part is a [[IncrediblyLamePun bit]] hard to find.

->The twenty-sixth chieftain of Xantusia. He is honourable, fair, and strongly devoted to his people. He doesn't trust humans, but is willing to put his personal feelings aside to accomplish a goal, which he sees as more important. He has a deep fear of the undead for some reason.\\[[OneGenderRace Like all reptoids]], he is a hermaphrodite; that is, he has no singular sex or gender. Reptoids are generally referred to as 'he' anyway, though.

Sslen'ck is first encountered in the lower chambers of the Sun Temple, the final boss of the area. He along with two other reptoids attack Mardek, Donovan and Sharla, believing them to be the cause of the dark creatures unleashed. Upon his defeat, he learns that Mardek and company are not to blame. He invites them to his village, of which he is chief, and [[DefeatEqualsFriendship joins them on their quest after their arrival]], leaving [[EvilChancellor Blatantly Evil Chancellor]] in charge of Xantusia.

[[spoiler:He reveals to Mardek that his parents were killed by undead if you speak to him in Saul's dungeon. This could be important later on, as he never mentions what exactly happened and claims to be unable to remember why the attack happened.]]

* CharacterAlignment: LawfulNeutral. [[invoked]]* CrutchCharacter: He's quite powerful in the early parts of Chapter 3, boasting impressive damage and durability when most of your other characters aside from Mardek are a mix of SquishyWizard and MagikarpPower. However, with gear, time, and training, the other characters will start to outpace him, and a fighting style [[AttackAttackAttack that involves attacking and nothing else]] tends to not be very useful when other characters like Zach and Legion can eventually grow to do it better.* DefeatEqualsFriendship* DishingOutDirt: Earth element.* FantasticRacism: Two-sided, but he learns many of the stereotypes are untrue by [[RelationshipValues Level 29]].* FlunkyBoss: He fights Mardek with two other reptoids.* HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: Given that he appointed someone literally named "Blatantly Evil Chancellor" to be his right-hand man, he's probably this.* InfinityPlusOneSword: The Drackal Crescent, obtained by completing Chapter 3's ChainOfDeals sidequest.* {{Leitmotif}}: [[http://www.fighunter.com/?page=music2&m=239 Sslen'ck]]* MightyGlacier* PlayingWithFire: Uses a couple of Fire-elemental attacks to supplement his Physical skills.* ProudWarriorRaceGuy* RedemptionDemotion: Averted; he's just as strong when he joins as when he's fought.* SnakeTalk* WeaponOfChoice: A [[AnAxeToGrind greataxe]].* [[WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes Why Did It Have To Be Undead?]]: He can't stand zombies. [[spoiler:Justified, as they killed his parents when he was young.]]

->Solaar is a... strange talking wolf thing. Odd. His - her? - fur seems to glow with a pleasant light, and she twitches nervously every so often. His rapid, idiosyncratic speech and fidgety mannerisms suggest she's constantly anxious, almost paranoid... or maybe he's just energetic?\\All Mardek knows of her is that he claims to be the dark crystal guardian... Odd, considering that she's Light. After the crystal was stolen, he came along with Mardek in order to take it back. She seems to be overly concerned with failing to protect the crystal... but what does he fear?

Solaar is first encountered, wounded, in the dark temple, in front of the chamber to the dark crystal. Xe challenged the Mystery Man to protect the crystal, but lost. Xe is then healed by Mardek - [[TheDevTeamThinksOfEverything or Sharla, if she has learned Healing Wind]] - and joins the party to defeat the Mystery Man and find the other crystals under King Gonoroth's orders. [[spoiler:Later, it's revealed by the Dreamstone #13 that Solaar isn't actually the guardian of the crystal; instead, xe is a Runare from a planet called Kalhu, and xe was sent to Belfan by Chieftain Eraluf of the Runare to guard the dark crystal from an evil - Zaephros the Chaosbringer - that has just been seen to steal Belfan's dark crystal by the Runari Seer.]]

* AmbiguousGender: Or rather, no gender at all.* BadassAdorable* CharacterAlignment: LawfulGood. [[invoked]]* GlassCannon: To the extreme. Xe has, hands down, the best skillset in the game (chapter 3's only resurrection spell and offensive light spell, among others), but combines this with absolutely atrocious stats. Xe has extremely low health and very limited equipment, meaning that xe keels over if the enemy so much as pokes xem.* InfinityPlusOneSword: The Guardian Claw, which is dropped by [[Bonus Boss Annihilator:Karnos]].* {{Leitmotif}}: [[http://www.fighunter.com/?page=music2&m=242 Solaar]]* LightEmUp* MagikarpPower: Xe has abysmal Vitality, turning xim into a GlassCannon with too much emphasis on the "glass" part to be very useful. However, if you give xim equipment that boosts Vitality (the Green Stole + 6, in particular), xyr HP is raised enough to make xim and xyr amazing skills useable.* MysteriousPast: Xe mentions the trope by name as part of a SuspiciouslySpecificDenial.* SquishyWizard: See GlassCannon.* StatusBuff: Solaar's Spirit Graft skill increases a character's spirit in battle, which can be used with devastating effect in conjunction with your party's spellcasters.* ThePowerOfTheSun* TokenNonhuman(oid)* VoiceOfTheLegion: Xyr chat text even replicates an echoing effect in text!* WeaponOfChoice: WolverineClaws.* YouNoTakeCandle: Xe is somewhere between this and StrangeSyntaxSpeaker.-->Forgivify me, for I have failn!** This is lampshaded if you talk to xim in Goznor.--->'''Solaar''': Oh wowsers! A village-town of human beings! They all seem to be livifying life to a non-minimal extent, if you would care to capture my drifting!--->'''Mardek''': ...Huh?--->'''Solaar''': [[CrowningMomentOfFunny Even I don't know what I meaned by that one]].

->Meraeador's invention, which he worked on for several years before using dark magic to trap a soul in it...but, due to [[ChekhovsGun his stutter]], he accidentally summoned four souls, which now share the same body.\\The 'red soul' is Baron von Doomkill; a man who seems to have once been some cruel tyrant or dictator. He's very evil, and would like nothing more than to use his new super-body to wreak destruction and cause misery to the world once more.\\The 'blue soul' is a female shaman named Deena. She is one of Gloria's predecessors, acting as the Canonia shaman in ages past. She is wise and fair, and willing to help out where she can.\\The 'purple soul' seems to be a depressive individual known as 'Miserable Ol' Martin'. He seems to be incapable of happiness, and does nothing but complain about how hopeless everything is and how hard things are for him.\\There's also a strange 'yellow soul', Bostolm, who seems deranged, insane...

* TheBattleDidntCount: Apparently all four of the souls encountered a GrimReaper in some sort of bizarre afterlife. Doomkill challenged him to a battle, of course, which Doomkill lo- [[InsistentTerminology "let him win."]]* CatchPhrase: Martin's "Gods, I'm depressed."* CharacterAlignment: "Mixed", which is fitting considering the souls inside of him. [[invoked]]* CloudCuckoolander: Bostolm.* DeadpanSnarker: Deena. It must be a Canonia shaman trait. * DoomyDoomsOfDoom: Baron von Doomkill.* DrivenToSuicide: Heavily implied with Bostolm, who was driven so insane by pixies digging in his mind that he "drilled them out of [his] head".* TheEeyore: [[MeaningfulName Miserable Ol' Martin]].* EvilOverlord: Baron von Doomkill was this in life.* {{Expy}}: Baron von Doomkill is somewhat of a expy of DoctorDoom, while Martin is one of [[Franchise/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy Marvin, the clinically depressed robot.]]* FourTemperamentEnsemble: All in one character! The Baron is Choleric, Deena is Phlegmatic, Martin is Melancholic, and Bostolm is Sanguine. The souls' colours even correspond to their temperaments'!* GoMadFromTheIsolation: [[spoiler: Bostolm and all the other monks inside the Lost Monastary, though this was aided by the [[ArtifactOfDoom stone that fell from the heavens.]] ]]* GoneHorriblyWrong: The spell malfunctioned, trapping four souls in one body. Though in the long run it could end up having GoneHorriblyRight.* JackOfAllTrades: Not only does Mimicry allow it/them access to a much larger pool of skills than any other character thus far, but Gemsplosion works in such a way that it can be used as an attack of just about any element (including Aether, Fig and Thauma).* InfinityPlusOneSword: The Buzzsaw Arm, which can be crafted at Meraeador's workbench.* LargeHam: Baron von Doomkill.* {{Leitmotif}}: [[http://www.fighunter.com/?page=music2&m=253 Legion]]* MegaManning: Certain attacks, if they hit Legion, will be added to its/their arsenal of skills.* MightyGlacier* NamesTheSame: No, not ''that'' [[VideoGame/MassEffect2 Legion]], but they are rather similar (mechanical beings that hosts multiple beings/programs).* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: "Baron von Doomkill".* NonElemental: Due to having four souls of different elements.* [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Woman]]: Deena plays this role out of the four souls in Legion, as while she has her own issues and tragic backstory, she isn't mentally insane like Bostolm, clinically depressed like Martin, or sociopathically violent like Doomkill.* [[RobotBuddy Possessed Mechanical Construct Buddy]]: For Meraeador. * SharingABody: PlayedForLaughs, where all the souls are very confused as to what's going on and have to get used to the others.* SmugSnake: Baron von Doomkill.* SpeechImpediment: Doomkill apparently has issues pronouncing '-er'. So you get lines from him which are along the lines of, "Powah! Unlimited powah! Cowah beneath the might of Baron von Doomkill!"* TheVonTropeFamily: Baron von Doomkill.* WeaponOfChoice: A PowerFist, one of which is [[ChainsawGood a buzzsaw]].* [[WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes Why Did It Have To Be Pixies?]]: Bostolm starts screaming incoherently whenever he's near a pixie. To quote his P-dialogue in the Lifewood:-->'''Legion''': OH NOOOOOO!!!!! PIXIES LIVE HERE!!!!! AAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!! And fairies. I don't mind fairies. They're nice. But PIXIES?!? THEY DIG IN MY MIIIIIND!!! But they won't find any chocolate! Hee! HEE.** Though his fear of pixies [[DemonicSpiders isn't exactly irrational.]]

[[/folder]]

[[folder:The Villains]]

Villainous characters native to Belfan. They tend to be of lesser importance and aren't very dangerous, at least compared to the Governance de Magi. [[note]]Characters who are still needed: Mugbert.[[/note]]

->A rather inept and overly dramatic bandit chief. He searches for the legendary elemental crystals, and uses people to help him find them, as he can't be bothered doing any dirty work himself. He's somewhat generically 'Evil', but in a Classical Villain sort of way; that is, he'd happily reveal his entire Evil Plan to the heroes in a monologue before attacking, and he'd never kill an adversary without a fair fight. He's cowardly though, and often flees at the first sign of real danger.

A recurring villain who tirelessly searches for the elemental crystals. However, he doesn't actually seem to ''want'' them as such, and instead seems to be driven to them more out of some sort of urge or instinct rather than conscious choice. Also has dreams in which he is some sort of dog with great power.

* BattleThemeMusic: [[http://www.fighunter.com/?page=music2&m=58 Muriance Battle]]* BlowYouAway / ShockAndAwe* CardCarryingVillain* CharacterAlignment: ChaoticEvil. [[invoked]]* ClassicVillain: Though he isn't the main villain, he does fit many of the traits.* GottaCatchEmAll: Like his character blurb says, he really wants those elemental crystals.* LargeHam* {{Leitmotif}}: [[http://www.fighunter.com/?page=music2&m=57 Muriance's Theme]]* MeaningfulName: We've yet to see how meaningful it is, but [[spoiler: his middle name, Pharezos, is an anagram of Zaephros. As in, the [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Zaephros The Chaosbringer]] mentioned in Solaar's dreamstone.]]* MostDefinitelyNotAVillain: He makes several statements to this extent during chapter 3. As a paraphrased example: Oh, yes, of course. [[BlatantLies He just wants to retrieve some treasures from the temple for the kiddiwinks.]]* WeaponOfChoice: A pistol, [[SchizoTech which is surprising]], considering Belfan's medieval setting.

->He's brutish, loutish, and very, very manly. Girls love him because he tends to treat them like dirt. But he's manly. [[spoiler:He joined the Guard when the others did, and though he tried to dominate the group and hit on the girls, the other recruits resisted and despised him]].\\He's supremely arrogant and egotistical, believing that nobody but him is deserving to lead, that violence is the answer to everything, and that girls can't get enough of him. He beats people up mainly for the fun of it, and [[spoiler:joined the Guard]] just so he could legally assault people 'and maybe pick up some chicks'...

The Mystery Man is a character who is completely new and was not in any chapters earlier than the third, definitely. He is completely enigmatic and totally not another character veiled in a PaperThinDisguise!

Anyway, as the blurb says above, he's a JerkAss, and stole the dark crystal for his own purposes. However, he can't seem to actually use its power for some reason...

* AllGirlsWantBadBoys:** He apparently thinks so, though this is averted by Emela, who hates him with a vengeance and constantly rejects his advances.** Played straight with Sharla, [[ShipTease much to the rage of Donovon]] if you take both of them to fight the Mystery Man the first time.* AntiHero: Type V [[spoiler:Until he turned to the dark side.]]* BattleThemeMusic: [[http://www.fighunter.com/?page=music2&m=244 "Bring It!"]]* BloodKnight: He didn't join the Goznor Royal Guard for the good of others,* CharacterAlignment: ChaoticEvil. [[invoked]]* [[spoiler:ChildByRape]]* ClimaxBoss: He comes at a small climax, but still one nonetheless.* ClusterFBomb: His profanities are censored, however.* DangerouslyGenreSavvy: [[spoiler:After he's defeated, he grabs the dark crystal and [[VillainExitStageRight teleports out with it anyway]].]]* DisproportionateRetribution: [[spoiler:After Emela injures him with a lightning bolt, Steele promptly decides to plot how to kidnap and rape her.]]* DarkIsEdgy* EyepatchOfPower** GoodScarsEvilScars: Has a scar across his eye, implying that he suffered from EyeScream. [[spoiler:Indeed, he did: When Emela shot Steele with the lightning bolt, it pierced his eye, apparently.]]* [[spoiler:FaceHeelTurn]]: [[spoiler:Though he wasn't much of a 'Face' to begin with...]]* GoodOldFisticuffs* HateSink: Apparently, he was created by the author to represent everything he hates.* JerkAss: To the extreme. Just read his character blurb up there.* JerkJock* {{Leitmotif}}: [[http://www.fighunter.com/?page=music2&m=243 Pugnacious Ruffian.]] Notable in that it uses instruments and techniques that the author dislikes, due to the fact that he hates Steele's character as well.* [[spoiler:NinetiesAntiHero]]: [[spoiler:Steele was originally one big pot-shot at this sub-genre of hero. But then he [[NotQuiteDead "died"]] and came back as the Mysterious Man, embracing the role of a bad guy whole-heartedly.]]* [[spoiler:NotQuiteDead]]* PaperThinDisguise: If you've played the second chapter, it should be extremely obvious who he is.

-> A peculiar man who [[LonersAreFreaks lives alone in a]] [[BigBoosHaunt House]] in the Canonia Woods. He is a {{Necromancer}}, and, typical of his sort, has a morbid fascination with death and corpses. He acquires many dead bodies from who-knows-where - perhaps from the victims he lures into his trap? - and [[AnimateDead animates them as undead to act as servants, warriors, and even friends...]] They make great listeners, but due to the whole mindlessness thing, they aren't much good at putting forward their own opinion. [[ThirdPersonPerson He talks as if narrating his own life,]] [[PurpleProse though his wording is pretentious]] [[LargeHam and self-aggrandising.]]

To put it short, Saul is a mentally insane individual whom you must track down for the quest to create Legion, Meraeador's [[{{Golem}} 'Metal]] [[RobotBuddy Man']]. Saul has kept a certain TomeOfEldritchLore from the library of Aeropolis 'far' past its due date. Unfortunately, Meraeador needs that book to make Legion, so the party is forced to track him down to his house deep within the Canonia Woods to borrow it. Of course, even though Meraeador offers to return it once he's done, [[EvilIsPetty Saul refuses to loan it to him]]. And so you have to make it through his hordes of undead minions to take it from him...

* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: His crimes throughout Chapter 3? [[AnimateDead Raising the dead,]] [[TakeOverTheWorld lead army of said dead to conquer Belfan,]] and not turning in his [[TomeOfEldritchLore library book]] on time.* BadassLongCoat* BaldOfEvil* BondVillainStupidity: Leaves you alone to die in his zombie filled dungeon. [[CardboardPrison That has holes in the side of the walls and is easily escapable]]. All when he could have [[WhyDontYouJustShootHim finished you off right then and there]].* CardCarryingVillain: The guy could probably match [[Franchise/MastersOfTheUniverse Skeletor]] for [[EvilIsHammy lack of subtlety.]]* CharacterAlignment: NeutralEvil. [[invoked]]* EverythingsDeaderWithZombies: His dungeon is one of two [[BigBoosHaunt undead-centered]] ones in the game. While zombie enemies do appear elsewhere (such as [[spoiler:The Lost Monastary]]), his is explicitly zombie-centered.* EvilAlbino: He appears to be one, as his irises appear to be some shade of off-white.* EvilCounterpart: He and Meraeador are both MadScientist types who are somewhat shunned by most of the people of their homes. They both have some sort of verbal tic or irregularity. However, while Saul clearly went mad somewhere down the line, Meraeador had [[TrueCompanions Mardek and Duegan to keep him from]] [[GoMadFromTheIsolation going insane from loneliness.]]* EvilIsHammy: Oh yes.* Expy: Of Moric, mainly due to both being necromancers.* FauxAffablyEvil: As long as you remember that his dungeon is a ZOMBIE themed dungeon and [[ReviveKillsZombie bring the right characters and take the right precautions,]] you will most likely enjoy every [[LargeHam hammy minute of it]].* FurAndLoathing: His coat appears to have a fur trim on the back. [[ColorCodedForYourConvenience Black, of course.]]* LastNoteNightmare: The end of his leitmotif is one very loud, almost screechlike note.* {{Leitmotif}}: [[http://www.fighunter.com/?page=music2&m=252 Saul.]] [[CrowningMusicOfAwesome And it fits him perfectly, to boot.]]* {{Necromancer}}: It's his in-game class, too.* ObviouslyEvil* PersonalityPowers: His powers match his personality, violently psychotic and with no respect for human life.* PurpleProse: See ThirdPersonPerson below.* SesquipedalianLoquaciousness: Somewhat. Since he uses PurpleProse, he ends up using a bunch of unneededly large words.* SkeletonsInTheCoatCloset: Somewhat. He doesn't seem to wear actually bones on his person, but he 'does' have at least one skull-shaped earring.* SlasherSmile: Though it's more ridiculous than it is creepy.* ThirdPersonPerson: He takes this [[PurpleProse further]] [[SmallNameBigEgo than]] [[LargeHam most.]]--> '''Saul''': That would be I, answered Saul affirmatively. What of this?, he went on further to ask, the ivory protuberances of his gaunt visage lit eerily by the dim torchlight; the furry dark caterpillars of his brow dancing in antipode to suggest particular suspicion; wanting for an answer that does not test his patience and his undead...* TheUnfought: You don't fight him, personally. [[spoiler:Instead you face the re-reanimated corpse of the Dracelon you fought in Chapter 2.]]* WeWillMeetAgain: Before you leave, speaking to him gets you the standard "You'll regret this!" line.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:The World's Saviours]]

A group of heroes introduced in chapter 2. They seem to be searching for the elemental crystalsof the world of Belfan, but are for the most part hilariously incompetent at finding them.

!Tropes relating to the World's Saviours as a whole:

* AffectionateParody: Of general RPG stereotypes and character classes (most notably the FF series). * TheBattleDidntCount: Whenever you fight them. The first time, Bartholio even thinks that you're supposed to be a HopelessBossFight.* ClicheStorm: Invoked: they're parodies of generic fantasy heroes. Their battle roles even correspond to the default party in the first ''VideoGame/{{Final Fantasy|I}}''!* [[FakeUltimateHero Fake Ultimate Heroes]]* FourTemperamentEnsemble: Bartholio is Choleric, Vennie is Phlegmatic, Aalia is Sanguine, and Bernard is Melancholic.* GoldfishPoopGang: They are shaping up to be an example of this, given how commonly you seem to run into them.* GottaCatchEmAll: Like everyone else, they want those elemental crystals.* {{Leitmotif}}: [[http://www.fighunter.com/?page=music2&m=61 Worlds' Saviours]]* PlotCoupon: According to the Playing With entry on this, they fit the bill of the described {{deconstruction}} quite well, since they chase after the crystals for the sake of it rather than actually doing anything heroic.* QuirkyMinibossSquad* WakeUpCallBoss: In Chapter 2. If you don't have a good grasp of how to keep yourself alive by this fight then you're in for some trouble.* WolfpackBoss: Laughably incompetent though they are, they can put up quite a fight.

-> A cornily generic macho Hero man who leads a group of other self-proclaimed 'heroes' that call themselves the 'World's Saviours'. He probably grew up on a farm and always wanted to be a Hero for whatever reason.\\He and his party are searching for the Legendary Crystals, merely because that's what Heroes are meant to do. They want more power and glory.

He tends to be somewhat brash and arrogant, comparing your group to common monsters and the like, and he's the only real reason your two groups oppose each other at all.

* BraggartBoss* CharacterAlignment: LawfulGood. [[invoked]]* TheHero: Of his own group, perhaps.* LargeHam* LightEmUp* MeaningfulName: "Strongarm" fits him well; he's the hard-hitter of the Saviours. Also, "Mars" was the name of the Greek god of war.* MightyGlacier* TurnsRed: If all of his allies fall in battle before he does, he'll use a skill called "Avengeance!", which doubles his strength.* WeaponOfChoice: A [[{{BFS}} greatsword]].

-> He's a Thief who claims to have a 'Heart of Gold'. How very original.\\He's one of the World's Saviours, and appears to be Bartholio's closest ally, but not much else is known about him. He speaks in a bizarre accent; I have honestly no idea what it's supposed to be and I bet you don't either.

As with the others, rather more friendly towards your group than their leader and somewhat silly, at times.

-> The typical healing-magic-casting Princess of the World's Saviours.\\She seems a bit dim, but is also probably in love with Bartholio, because that would be just typical, wouldn't it?

A rather ditzy princess type who, for whatever reason, talks in mostly chatspeak. Including emoticons.

* CharacterAlignment: NeutralGood. [[invoked]]* TheDitz* LeetLingo: Including emoticons!* LightEmUp* LoveInterest: Apparently...* ShootTheMedicFirst: If you want to survive an encounter with the Saviours, slaughter her IMMEDIATELY.* {{Stripperiffic}}: Her costume consists of a long scarf, a fairly small top with laces in front of the cleavage, hot pants, and knee-high boots.* VerbalTic: Talks in chatspeak, as mentioned.* WeaponOfChoice: A SimpleStaff.* WhiteMage: Healing, shields, the whole lot.** WhiteMagicianGirl

-> An old man who doesn't appear to fit in with the Saviours at all... He's a potent spellcaster, but is rather mysterious...

As said above, not much is known about him, but he doesn't really seem to care much about finding the crystals or any such thing.

* BaldOfEvil: Comb-over of evil, actually.* Catchphrase: "Heh"* CharacterAlignment: TrueNeutral. [[invoked]]* DarkIsEdgy: He's able to use magic from other elements as well, however.* DeadpanSnarker: Bernard will occasionally make jokes at the World Saviour's expense. * GlassCannon: Can deal the most damage of any of the Saviours, and to your whole party, no less. But... [[SquishyWizard Yeah.]]* ItAmusedMe: Really the only reason he does anything, like the zombie at the end of chapter 3, or hanging out with the rest of the Saviours at all.* OnlySaneMan: Of the Saviours.* TheQuietOne: Unlike the other Saviours, he's not very talkative.* [[spoiler: RetiredBadass: Implied to have been a Hero named Bernard Stormkiller.]] * SquishyWizard* WeaponOfChoice: A [[SimpleStaff walking stick]]. No, really.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:The Governance de Magi]]

The Governance de Magi is the ruling body of Anshar, Rohoph's homeworld. They all used to be friends, but the Violet Crystal warped their minds and corrupted them, dividing them and causing them to turn on Rohoph. They're the story's main antagonists.

!Tropes relating to the Governance de Magi as a whole:

* [[spoiler:AndIMustScream]]:** [[spoiler:Due to the way Rohoph's soul sealing spell works, they aren't allowed to go on to the afterlife after they're killed -- their souls are turned into fancy jewelery that sits in Mardek's back pocket for all eternity.]]** And that's to say nothing of the people the Governance de Magi possesses. [[spoiler:The end of Chapter 3 shows that Rohoph has complete control over Mardek whenever he pleases..]]* BattleThemeMusic: [[http://www.fighunter.com/?page=music2&m=65 GdM Battle]]* ClimaxBoss: All of them, excluding Rohoph. * ElementalPowers: There's one council member for each element, excluding Fig.* EvilIsNotWellLit: The room they're in is rather dark and shadowy.* FaceFramedInShadow: Averted, despite them not averting the above trope.* GottaKillEmAll: Deconstructed. [[spoiler: Even though Rohoph insists that he must do this anyways.]]* {{Leitmotif}}: [[http://www.fighunter.com/?page=music2&m=52 Governance de Magi]]* MoreThanMindControl: They aren't being controlled by the Violet Crystal; it only exacerbates their own insecurities and negative traits.* TheOmniscientCouncilOfVagueness* OrcusOnHisThrone: It's even lampshaded that the Magi kind of sit around doing nothing while Rohoph slaughters their group one by one. * SinisterScythe: While it's not easily observed, the weapons that both Qualna ''and'' Moric use are classified as scythes. Also unusual in that when they attack with their scythes, they attack with the back end, instead of the blade.* SortingAlgorithmOfEvil: The order they volunteer in is coincidentally from weakest to strongest.* ThemeNaming: Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthazar are named for the three wise men from [[Literature/TheBible the Gospel of Matthew]].* VoiceOfTheLegion: All Annunaki have their chat in a special font, [[ColourCodedElements in the color of their element]]. Subverted in that Annunaki voice sounds exactly the same as a human voice, as many characters confuse Rohoph's speech for Mardek's. It is the text that this trope refers to. [[spoiler:It should be noted that at least one Annunaki, Qualna, can also hide this at will when in disguise. He deliberately left it in during his possession of the King of Goznor, but hid it while posing as Clavis. Rohoph, meanwhile, cannot hide his even when he is pretending to be Mardek in the Epilogue.]]* WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity

->A strange being who arrived on Belfan when his 'flying chariot' came crashing down from the heavens. What he's doing here is unknown, but on arrival his original body was killed, and he came to inhabit Mardek's body alongside him.

The Healer and light-elemental member of the Governance de Magi. When the Violet Crystal came, he saw how it affected his friends, and tried to destroy it. Unfortunately, he was caught and sentenced to execution, but escaped and crash-landed on Belfan, where he performed a Soul Transfer into Mardek.

[[spoiler:An interesting aspect of him is that, in chapter 3, Qualna hints that ''even before the Violet Crystal affected him'', he was [[KnightTemplar overly obsessed]] with goodness and justice, and it's heavily implied that he committed a massive homicide or something similar on Ninevah. This makes him the only Governance member to have issues before being corrupted by the Crystal...]]

* [[spoiler:BlackAndWhiteInsanity: [[AntiVillain Qualna]] calls him out on it, but [[KnightTemplar he does not care to listen]].]]* BlackAndWhiteMorality: As far as he's concerned, there's good and there's bad, and essentially anything is justified in pursuit of a greater good. [[spoiler: Unfortunately for the world at large, [[KnightTemplar his idea of the "greater good" doesn't necessarily match up with anyone else's]], or include allowances for little things like ''not plunging entire planets into chaos''. His BlackAndWhiteInsanity becomes more and more apparent.]]* CharacterAlignment: LawfulGood. [[spoiler: Although the "good" part might be [[ShootTheDog debatable]]]]. [[invoked]]* {{Foil}}: To Mardek, as well as Moric and Qualna.* GenreSavvy: He warns Mardek not to get emotionally attached to people, due to the fact that villains can use them against him in a SadisticChoice, and also because they can betray him. This is probably influenced by his own [[EtTuBrute friendship issues]] back home.* [[spoiler:GoodPowersBadPeople: For a guy whose title is "The Healer," he's quite nonchalant about the idea of [[AndIMustScream trapping his former friends' souls for all eternity]].]]* IGaveMyWord: [[spoiler:Discussed and cruelly subverted when he fights Qualna. He agrees not to [[AndIMustScream seal Qualna's soul]], but after the fight, he reveals that he was lying and [[ShootTheDog does so anyway while Qualna screams for mercy]].]]* {{Jerkass}}: He's somewhat rude to Mardek and seems to look down upon the people of Belfan. Granted, his race was far more technologically superior, but it doesn't stop him from taking snide potshots when he can. He also makes it clear that he has no wish to waste time speaking with Mardek's comrades in the Dreamrealm in Chapter 3. [[spoiler: This is somewhat of a bit of ForeShadowing. Rohoph kicks his {{Jerkass}} qualities up to eleven at the end of chapter 3, chasing away Elywen by insulting her and bullying poor Mardek, taking complete control of his body.]]* [[spoiler:JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope]]: In chapter 3.* [[spoiler:KnightTemplar]]: [[spoiler:[[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans No cost is too great for Rohoph]] if it means stopping the Governance de Magi.]]* {{Leitmotif}}: [[http://www.fighunter.com/?page=music2&m=51 Rohoph's Theme]]* LightEmUp* [[spoiler:LightIsNotGood]]* [[spoiler:ManipulativeBastard]]* TheMedic* MindControlEyes: Whenever he speaks through Mardek, Mardek's eyes glow white.* SharingABody: With Mardek.* ShootTheDog: [[spoiler:He does this to the other Governance de Magi members.]]* TheSmartGuy* [[spoiler:TomatoInTheMirror: Contrary to what he believes, he was not immune to the Violet Crystal's effects.]]* [[spoiler:UnreliableExpositor: A lot of both the characters' and the audience's information about the situation with the [=GdM=] comes from him, on the rare occasions when he feels like explaining things. Which, consequently, becomes increasingly suspect as the {{reveal}}s roll around about his deeper personality and history.]]* [[spoiler:VillainProtagonist]]: Arguably.* WhatTheHellHero: [[spoiler: Qualna calls him out on some of the questionable things he does in chapter 3.]]

->Moric is a necromancer; his powers are rather dark and center around raising the dead as undead. These powers are used by the Governance de Magi to form a sort of unholy undead army, which, though effective, was highly controversial amongst the inhabitants of Anshar. The Governance considered it a good idea, however, because it was better than sending ''live'' inhabitants to their deaths fighting in battles. Moric is 'creepy' and reclusive, spending most of his time in his lab perfecting his magic. He is quite sadistic and loves pain and death, and the Violet Crystal amplified these negative traits, leading to Moric willingly chasing after Rohoph merely to see him suffer as he perished.

Not much more needs to be said. Moric was not on good terms with Rohoph, however, due to the fact that they specialized in opposite fields of magic. His mind is also somewhat fractured.

* BuffySpeak: He ''really'' likes to make up new words and describe things [[ShapedLikeItself in terms of themselves]].* CharacterAlignment: NeutralEvil. [[invoked]]* DarkAndTroubledPast: He and Rohoph were...not on good terms with one another.-->'''Moric:''' You specialise in giving life, I in taking it away and creating twisted, perverse imitations of it. You never liked me.* DarkIsNotEvil: Before the Violet Crystal, he seemed to fill this role. * DishingOutDirt: He has earth-elemental powers, in addition to being a necromancer.* DontYouDarePityMe: [[spoiler:After his mind is damaged in his Soul Transfer, he denies Rohoph's offer for help, saying that it's a trick and he'll only make things worse. Considering what Rohoph did to Qualna at the end of Chapter 3, Moric may have been justified in doing this.]]* FamousLastWords: "You must die! Only then can I be free!"* FlunkyBoss* {{Foil}}: To Anu.* {{Necromancer}}: Natch.* OneWingedAngel: [[spoiler:Subverted, or possibly even ''inverted''. You first fight him in his super-powerful non-human form, then he later possesses Social Fox's corpse and becomes more human-like, but when you fight him again, he's actually ''more'' powerful than he was the first time.]]* VerbalTic: "Yeees..."* WeaponOfChoice: A SinisterScythe.

The Diviner and ether-elemental member of the Governance de Magi. He has the unique ability to look into a special plane of existence, the Astral Realm, which gives him knowledge of past and even potential future events. These abilities are obviously very useful to the government. He also has a silver tongue, and prefers to resolve things peacefully with words, rather than with fighting.

* AntiVillain: Type III. Contrasted against [[spoiler:Rohoph JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope]].* CharacterAlignment: TrueNeutral, type 4. [[invoked]]* TheDarkChick: Shares this role with Melchior.* DemonicPossession: Sort of. He's able to possess various people.* [[spoiler:DuelBoss]]* FamousLastWords: [[spoiler:"[[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope YOU]] [[KnightTemplar UTTER]] [[YouMonster MONSTER]]!"]]* FlunkyBoss* {{Foil}}: To Gaspar. And [[spoiler: Rohoph. Especially with his focus on BalanceBetweenGoodAndEvil compared to Rohoph's BlackAndWhiteInsanity]]* ImprobableWeaponUser: As a MusicalAssassin.* [[spoiler:NiceGuy: He is by far the nicest Governance de Magi member, and even wants to bring Rohoph back peacefully instead of killing him. He also seems to be affected the least by the Violet Crystal.]]* SoulPower* [[spoiler:WhatTheHellHero]]: He spends a good bit of Chapter 3 [[spoiler:trying to get Rohoph to realize that his BlackAndWhiteMorality KnightTemplar attitude is making things much, much worse. [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope It doesn't work]].]]

The "Firestorm" and fire-elemental member of the Governance de Magi. [[NoIndoorVoice SPEAKS IN ALL CAPS]] and is a bit of a LargeHam. He also has [[HotBlooded serious anger management issues]] and is rather [[TheBrute direct and unsubtle]]. He is set to be the villain of chapter 4, but not much else is known about him.

* TheBrute* {{Foil}}: To Qualna.* HotBlooded* LargeHam* NoIndoorVoice* PlayingWithFire* PyroManiac* RhymesOnADime: Him of all people!-->'''(Moric is talking about how he wants to kill Rohoph)'''\\'''Gaspar:''' MORIC, YOU'RE A SMELTIN' CREEPY MAN!! AND YET I THINK I TOO MIGHT MONGIN' WELL DELIGHT IN THE SIGHT OF THE FRIGHT OF THE WHITE BLIGHT AS I FIGHT AND SMITE HIM FROM THIS PLANE!! BLOODYIN'.\\'''Qualna:''' [[LampshadeHanging Why Gaspar, that's awfully poetic for you]]! I'm amazed!\\'''Gaspar:''' I'LL HARRY WELL SHOW ''YOU'' A POETIC MAZE!! I'LL TRAP YOU IN IT AND SCREAM TOFFIN' BLOOD-CURDLIN' SCREAMS AS YOU TRY IN VAIN TO EVADE THE PAIN YOU'D BE SURE TO GAIN!! YOU'D SLOWLY GO INSANE, AND I'D JUST [[SubvertedRhymeEveryOccasion LAUGH]]!! '''LAUGH!!!''' MOGGIN' LAUGH TRIPIN' HARD!!

The air-elemental member of the Governance de Magi. Also [[TheDarkChick the odd one out]]. He appears to be completely bonkers, and whenever he speaks, it's pretty much guaranteed that you'll be laughing hysterically a few moments later. Not much else is known about him.

* AffablyEvil* BlowYouAway* CloudCuckoolander: To the extreme.-->'''Anu:''' When Rohoph's gone and dealt with, there'll be nothing to stop us... No... Soon, THE GALAXY WILL BE OURS!!! MWAHAHAHAHAH!!!!\\'''Melchior:''' Don't you mean ''ours'', sir? We ''are'' working on this together. There's not just you.\\'''Anu:''' Yes, that's what I ''said''. Weren't you listening?\\'''Melchior:''' What? Eh? No, not at all. I had a nice pretty tune in my head. I was listening to that. It went like '[[SorryILeftTheBGMOn naaaah naaaah nah-nah-naaaah, naaaah naaaah naaaah naaahh...]]'\\'''Anu:''' Sigh...* TheDarkChick: Shares this role with Qualna.* {{Foil}}: To Balthazar.* PluckyComicRelief

The "Master" and dark-elemental member of the Governance de Magi. Normally, they're an equal council, but due to the Violet Crystal's effects, he lunged for power, presumably because he was the most [[AmbitionIsEvil ambitious]]. Seems to want to [[TakeOverTheWorld take over the galaxy]], or something cliché like that. Not much else is known about him.

* AmbitionIsEvil: Heavily implied.* BigBad: Possibly, though it's been theorized that the creature inside the Violet Crystal may turn out to be [[TheManBehindTheMan The]] EldritchAbomination [[TheManBehindTheMan Behind The Man]].* DarkIsEdgy* TheDragon: If he isn't the BigBad, he's probably this.* TakeOverTheWorld: Or rather, the galaxy.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Everyone Else]]

Though important to the plot, these miscellaneous characters don't fit into any of the other categories. [[note]]Characters who are still needed: Social Fox, possibly Lilanea.[[/note]]

->Mardek's father. An adventurer of great renown, known as 'Enki the Wanderer'. He left his wife and child a few years ago to go on some quest he swore wouldn't take long. He's not returned since, and little is known about his current whereabouts; only a few rumours about sightings of him in the far, frozen Northern Wastes suggest he still lives. His family eagerly awaits his return.

There's not much else to say. He seems to have a MysteriousPast, though he refuses to talk about it. Not much else is known about him, as he has not appeared in-game yet.

* CharacterAlignment: LawfulGood. [[invoked]]* DisappearedDad: He is one himself, although [[spoiler:his dreamstone reveals that he had one of these when he was young.]]* KatanasAreJustBetter* {{Leitmotif}}: [[http://www.fighunter.com/?page=music2&m=49 Enki's Theme]]* LightEmUp* MysteriousPast

->The king of Goznor. His power is absolute. He's a genuinely good person, and seeks to make the world a better place. He started the Guard so then he could aid people and keep law and order not only in Goznor, but throughout the whole of Belfan. Currently their range includes only Hadris, but some Royal Knights are sent out further on long missions.

[[spoiler:In chapter 3, he is possessed by Qualna and is accidentally killed by Mardek's party. He is also revealed to be Donovan's father.]]

* [[spoiler:AccidentalMurder]]: [[spoiler:Mardek's party accidentally kills him at the end of chapter 3.]]* CharacterAlignment: LawfulGood. [[invoked]]* [[spoiler:ClimaxBoss]]: [[spoiler:Albeit while possessed.]]* [[spoiler:DemonicPossession]]: In chapter 3.* [[spoiler:FinalBoss: Though the battle with him is not the final battle in this chapter, for all intents and purposes it counts as the Last Boss, as it's the last time you'll be battling with your allies.]]* NiceGuy* PlayingWithFire* [[spoiler:SacrificialLamb]]* WeaponOfChoice: A CoolSword.

->An unusual man with a fondness for using keystones as a metaphor. He claims to be an 'equilibriumancer' and likes to ramble in a way that almost seems like moral lecturing or something, made to make his audience think. His motives are unknown...as is basically everything about him, really.

[[spoiler:He's actually Qualna in disguise, who created the persona in order to teach [[KnightTemplar Rohoph]] some important lessons. Unfortunately, they fell on deaf ears.]]